To Eavesdrop Is To Err
by mississippimudpiecraves
Summary: Entry to Fanofthisfiction's Misunderstandings Show Me The Love Challenge 2019. Summary: Temari overheard something she did not like from the one person she did not want to hear it from.


**Author's Note: I joined this challenge mainly in appreciation of Fanofthisfiction's determination to keep Fanfiction Review Movement alive. So consider this my "gift" to her.**

 **Please check out her profile for her stories and other FRM authors' stories and leave reviews! Thank you!**

A sandy blonde haired beauty stood tall by the edge of the leaf ninja village. Otherwise known as Konoha. There was a sizeable weapon slung across her back. Her figure was athletic and powerful yet womanly. Her gaze was sure and steady. Despite the four pigtails her hair was styled into, her presence exuded confidence and grace and authority.

All in all, a quite intimidating character. And no wonder, this is the Princess of Suna, Temari of the Sand Village.

She arrived at Konoha to deliver a confidential package to the Hokage. It was a task only she could have done. But it was also a task that she was willing to do.

Why? Because there was someone extraordinarily special that she was eager to see. Someone that she has not seen for several months because of the endless protocol works she was subjected to. It was a special someone that she could not wait to lay her hands on.

A wide grin split her lips. She felt her body humming with abundance of energy and excitement. She was growing rather impatient as well.

Thinking that it would be fine not to immediately report to the Hokage, she headed to the barbecue restaurant that he and his friends frequented. She hoped he would be there.

And there he was. That lazy (maybe not as much as before), troublesome, dark haired, single ponytailed leaf ninja. Nara Shikamaru. Advisor to the Hokage. Her boyfriend.

Along with his two close friends, Ino and Chouji.

She smirked. His appearance had not changed since the last time she saw him. She was about to casually stroll in there and give him a light smack to the back of the head as a surprise greeting when she saw a look of agitation on his face.

His friends had said something she did not hear.

But she definitely heard what he said next loud and clear.

 **"I DON'T WANT TO MARRY TEMARI."**

She stumbled backwards as if the words had physically crashed into her. Her heart slammed painfully against her chest and she scurried out of sight before they took notice of her.

Leaning against the side of the building, she stared off into space. Subconsciously, her hand raised and rubbed against the ache growing in her chest.

A few minutes later, she smacked her hands against her cheeks. "You have a job to do, Temari," she muttered to herself while her cheeks took on a reddish hue.

She wondered why she did not go straight to the Hokage like she usually did. She would usually do her job first before meeting up with him. But it had been a while since she last saw him. He was the first person she wanted to see.

And yet, if she had done her job as usual, she would not have overheard that thing.

 _That thing._

She shook her head as if to clear it. To physically lodge that abomination out of her mind.

Her demeaor grew rigid and her eyes hardened as she entered the Hokage's office building.

Curious glances were sent her way. People physically veered away from her.

She heard the whispers.

'What's wrong with her?'

' Is she angry?'

' Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.'

She tried to school her features into a more gentle facade as she reached the receptionist. "I'm here to deliver a package to the Hokage. He should be expecting me."

The receptionist took a look at her and squeaked, "Yes, ma'am, right away, please go ahead."

She would have been amused, had it not been for her current circumstances.

Making a beeline to the Hokage's main office, she knocked. Her foot tapped restlessly.

"Come in," someone called from inside.

She swung the door open almost immediately and entered.

The Hokage warmly smiled upon seeing her. "Temari, welcome, it's been a while. Have a seat."

Nodding, she walked closer and took the seat by his desk. Then she placed the package carefully on top of his desk.

"I've been waiting for this. Thank you, Temari, for making the long journey just to deliver this. And please convey my regards to the Kazekage," the Hokage spoke in gratitude.

This reminded her of how Naruto had really grown up from the boisterous kid he was.

 _Too bad his advisor had not._

Clearing her throat, she compelled herself to speak, "It is my duty, Hokage. It is nothing. Now, may I go because I would like to rest if you will excuse me."

"Of course, you must be exhausted. Thank you once again."

She nodded curtly in acknowledgement, rose and headed towards the door.

She had her hand on the knob when the Hokage's concerned voice reached her.

"Is there something wrong, Temari? Would you...perhaps... like to talk about it?"

She turned and caught the sincerity on his face. It was very tempting. But she shook her head. "No, there is nothing wrong, Hokage." She turned away again, hand on the doorknob and swung it open. Then she hesitated and closed the door.

The Hokage smiled and waited patiently for her to speak.

"Do you think that I am not marriage material, Hokage?"

000000000

Shikamaru was walking with his friends back to the office when one of the workers shouted out, "Shikamaru, Temari was just here! She left a while ago."

Ino and Chouji grinned. "Go on, then, leave," Ino teased.

Chouji chimed in, "Yeah, leave us like you usually do when she's here."

They both smirked in unison.

A slight blush came across his face. He called back, "Thanks!" Then, "bye guys!"

He turned and walked off in a slightly quicker pace than his usual stroll.

"He is so whipped," Ino chuckled.

Chouji smiled. "In a good way."

0000000

He knocked at the door of her apartment and waited.

No reply.

He noted that the light was on so she must be in.

He knocked some more.

And called out, "Tem? It's Shikamaru."

He heard some shuffling noises which eventually made its way to the door.

The door opened an inch and a hooded figure peered at him through the tiny gap.

"Tem?"

"What do you want?"

"Um I heard you arrived. Can I come in?"

Pause. Then the door opened wider and the hooded figure was revealed to be Temari covered in a blanket from head to toe.

 _Well this was unexpected_ , he thought. But he could not help but bite back a smile. It was not everyday that he saw Temari in such a... cocoon mode? In fact he never did.

It suddenly trigerred his overprotectiveness. Which was surprising. He did not know he was capable of it. It made him want to go closer and take her in his arms.

 _What sap._

He chuckled to himself. _So this is what troublesome women do to us, right,Dad?_

However as he entered her domain, his assessing eyes warned him that Temari was giving off all signals of not wanting to be touched.

It was curious because often she was the first to get close and smack him or something.

So he decided to tread the safe path.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Shikamaru asked cautiously.

"Am I not allowed to dress however way I like in my own apartment?" she said in a matter of fact tone.

"Well of course, but what I meant was.. never mind. How was your travel?" Shikamaru tactfully changed topic.

"It was the usual."

Silence.

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably. Not knowing the cause of her moodiness, he did not know how to tackle the issue at hand.

"What's wro—" but Shikamaru was cut off by Temari's cold voice.

"Why are we still doing this, Shikamaru? I mean what's the point?"

Having been caught off guard, all he could say was, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"This. Us. Our relationship. Long distance relation."

Shikamaru felt dread seeping into his nerves. He slowly uttered as if to make sure the words were coming out right,"What's wrong... with our relationship?"

Temari scoffed. And there was scorn clear in her eyes. He flinched.

"Please. It's getting tedious, isn't it? This long distance thing is not feasible after all. We spend more time apart than being together. What is the use of it?"

He let that one sink in before he replied calmly, "Are you trying to break up with me?"

"That is the perfect solution to this, isn't it?"

"Then answer this first. What did I do wrong?" he said evenly, his eyes unusually fired up.

He saw Temari visibly avoid his stare.

"You did not do anything particularly wrong. More like, this whole thing just statistically does not work out, right? What chance do we have of it working out?" she stated in an almost sensible manner if it were not for her shifty eyes.

He crossed the distance between them and slightly touched her chin with his fingers until her emerald eyes met his obsidian ones. She had to fight back the tremor she felt.

"Every chance. If you only believe in us. But if you don't believe in me, then you're right, there is no chance of it working out."

000000000

She held herself still as he walked out of the door and the door closed gently.

It was an awful silence.

Confusion, shock, despair, desperation battled within her.

"What happened? I thought he didn't want to marry me? So why that reaction?" she murmured. "Is he toying with me? Is it because I broke up with him first that he acted out like that? Maybe he is upset that I beat him to it?"

She rocked on her feet, her mind racing with every possible idea of why he acted that way. But for the life of her, she could not come to a conclusion.

Not with the glaring memory of _that thing._

As she remembered his very words, her feet rooted back to the ground and she brought the blanket closer to her chest.

000000000

Ino screeched, "She broke up with you?!"

"Yes," Shikamaru replied as they walked towards the Hokage's office to report for a meeting.

"But why?! How? Why?" Ino repeated herself in shock.

Chouji threw a look of concern at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru stared ahead as he answered, "Something about long distance relationships having zero possibilities of making it."

"That's bullshit! Why is that woman spouting nonsense!" Ino shouted in frustration.

"Maybe she really does believe that."

Ino glared at Shikamaru. "Don't tell me you believe that bullshit."

"No, of course not, but she wouldn't tell me why she really wanted to break up with me, so I left."

"You left." Ino stared at him in disbelief. She threw her hands up. "Oh kami, give me the strength not to strangle this boy."

"What now." Mild annoyance melded into his tone.

Ino stepped in front of him, making him stop in his tracks. With a raised voice and a finger jab on his shoulder, she pointedly said, "You should not have left until you resolved the issue!"

"And I told you, she did not want to tell me what was wrong. What else could I do?" his voice raised a little as well, frustration building within.

"Guys..." Chouji tried to stop them as he glanced around the surroundings where other workers were starting to stare.

"Hey guys, would you like to come in?"

They halted completely as the Hokage stepped out of his room and pleasantly smiled at them. Shikamaru and Ino immediately bowed their heads in apology.

Once they were settled in the Hokage's office, Naruto started, "Shikamaru, did I hear correctly? You and Temari are having problems?"

Startled, Shikamaru nodded his head. "Yeah, she broke up with me. I have no idea why."

Ino bristled, about to open her mouth. Chouji laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. She deflated back into her chair.

Naruto stroked his chin. "Well, I'm not sure if this is related or not, but in fact yesterday when she came to deliver the package, she did look distraught. I asked her what was wrong. She did not want to say at first but she did eventually confide in me. I was a bit surprised at what she said. No, I take that back. I was extremely surprised at what she asked."

"What did she ask?" Ino blurted out as she could not help herself.

"She said," Naruto bore his eyes onto Shikamaru's currently intense ones, "Do you think I am not marriage material?"

"Wha?!" Ino and Chouji reacted in unison.

Shikamaru froze. "She was there that time.." he murmured. He smacked his hands against his forehead. Everyone looked to him.

"She thinks I don't want to marry her."

0000000000

"Ino, seriously, it's fine if we don't have a gathering for my departure," Temari said irritably as she was being pulled headlong by the headstrong platinum blonde leaf ninja.

"No, I must insist. We shall have a picnic in the clearing," Ino declared, beaming. "You haven't been here for months. To decline my invitation would be a grave insult, don't you know."

Temari grumbled inaudibly, imagining several creative ways of making the other blonde shut up.

After traversing the road for ten minutes, they reached the clearing. To Temari's surprise, the picnic held quite a selection.

It was all of her favorites.

She was suddenly ashamed of how she treated Ino. "You didn't have to do this, you know."

As she glanced back, she realized that Ino disappeared.

"I told Ino it wasn't necessary, but you know how she is." A deep male voice came from the north as he came out into the clearing.

She turned back to see who arrived, though she already knew, and it confirmed her suspicions.

 _I am going to kill Ino._

"Shikamaru. I don't have time for this." Temari spun and started to walk off.

"I don't want to marry you."

Temari stopped in her tracks, her heart flew into her throat.

"That's what you heard, right?"

Temari 's brows furrowed in consternation. She turned around swiftly and faced him with hard, searching eyes. "What of it?"

Shikamaru let out a sigh. "You stubborn, pigheaded woman."

"What did you say to me?!" she bristled as she raised her fist.

"Were you just going to run off to Suna without confirming if what you heard was true or not?" he challenged her.

"... I do not see how I could have mistaken such a simple statement." But her fist dropped down. There was hope and a hint of a plea in her eyes that he was sure she would deny.

"But you are mistaken."

 ***FLASHBACK***

"You and Temari have been dating for a long time, Shikamaru! Aren't you going to ask her to marry you anytime soon?" Ino squealed with excitement.

Shikamaru almost spit his drink out but managed to keep his composure.

"I know what he is going to say. Weddings are troublesome, too much details, too much planning etc." Chouji replied with a grin.

Shikamaru just managed to keep his poker face.

"Then why not just elope with her, right! That's right down with your personality!" Ino exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

"That's true. Eloping would get rid of all unnecessary troublesome preparations, right, Shikamaru?" Chouji smiled.

Shikamaru knew they meant well but for some reason, while it had crossed his mind that eloping would have been the least troublesome method of getting married, it also somehow annoyed him that his own friends would think he would deny Temari the proper wedding especially considering how important a role she plays in her village.

Which made him raise his voice.

"I DON'T WANT TO MARRY TEMARI..." he struggled to voice his thoughts, "like that. I want to marry her properly. She deserves that much."

He had to dodge the teary-eyed Ino who launched herself at him, suddenly squealing about how mature he's become.

 ***END OF FLASHBACK***

"...and that's what happened." He eyed her closely.

She looked inscrutable. Then she spoke softly, "Did you mean that?"

When he heard the tone of her voice, it was like every muscle in his body completely relaxed. And with a firm voice, he said, "Every word."

"Good," she chirped.

That made him pause. "Wait, good? That's it? After all that happened yesterday, thats all you're going to say. You broke up with me and that's all you can say. After all the emotional trauma—"

She dashed towards him and took a long leap. With surprisingly quick reflexes, he was able to catch her. She knocked the breath out of him. But as soon as he was able to supply air into his lungs, her lips captured his in the sweetest of caresses.

As they grew breathless, he pulled back and announced, "Don't think that's going to work every time."

She merely threw him a cheeky grin which always served to arouse and annoy somehow.

A thought suddenly entered his mind. "What did Naruto say to you when you asked him that question?"

Temari hooted with laughter. It went on and on until he poked her side.

"Ow, you wouldn't believe how he replied."

"Go on..."

"So I asked if wasn't I marriage material? Only because I heard you say those things, alright! Nothing more!" Temari defended herself vehemently.

The edges of his mouth quirked upwards at her self-consciousness. He knew that it took a huge chunk out of her pride to ask that question. "I understand. I suppose it was a bit my fault also."

Temari beamed gratefully at his unnecessary but sincere admission, then suddenly smacked him on his arm just to alleviate the moment. Shikamaru winced playfully. A chuckle escaped Temari's lips.

"Anyway you should have seen him. He blushed and stammered out, 'T-tem-mari, I'm s-so sorry b-but I already have a w-wife! Hinata will kill me!" She imitated the Hokage's tremulous voice and flailing arms.

Witnessing her acting and imagining that scenario, helpess laughter escaped Shikamaru, and he almost dropped Temari. She slipped down as she could not help laughing again.

They both dropped to the ground as their knees grew weak, convulsed in laughter.

A few moments later when their laughter died down, she somehow ended up in his arms lying on their backs, looking up at the clouds.

"So, I shall await your proposal then," Temari casually said.

He chuckled, "Troublesome woman."

 **Author's Note: Initially, I wanted this one shot to have a humorous take throughout. But as I wrote, it went in another direction. But considering the topic of misunderstanding, I guess that was inevitable. There were several times that I hesitated to post this story. It was rare that I felt that way to be honest. But as I revised, I grew to like it. Just wanted to share this tidbit in case there may be other FF writers who experience this very same thing. Also, it took me about eight hours to write this so kindly forgive any errors you may find.**

 **Author's Note 2: Shout out to my own Shika!**


End file.
